As I have shared previously here on the blog, this exceptional buttercream is rich and buttery, melts on the tongue and is truly divine. In fact, I have used this recipe since 1990 to frost my phenomenal Classic Carrot Cake recipe that was used to develop my Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake Bakery-Style last spring. In that post, I explain which recipes influenced me and just how I arrived to develop the perfect Cream Cheese Buttercream to pipe beautifully.

The secret is to use equal amounts, by weight, of butter to cream cheese—that is, 8 ounces each. This, of course, translates to two (2) sticks of butter and one (1) brick of cream cheese. Most cream cheese frosting recipes call for far too much cream cheese (read: too much moisture and not enough fat) and the frosting just does not want to pipe well. In addition, the frosting is so loosey-goosey that cake layers actually slide! No fun—especially if transporting the cake. Essentially, you would have to add an incredible amount of confectioners’ sugar to stiffen it up in order to pipe nicely. And, for most of us, this translates to a frosting that is just too cloyingly sweet.

This is what I wrote in my post last spring:

“Just as with my carrot cake recipe, my Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe was inspired by the one found in my New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. It is quite the opposite of Mrs. Fields’ recipe that calls for two 8-ounce packages (16 ounces) of cream cheese and only one stick (½ cup or 4 ounces) of salted butter. The BHG recipe calls for one 8-ounce package of cream cheese to one stick of butter (again, at 4 ounces). However, I increased the amount of butter from the BHG recipe to create a true “Cream Cheese Buttercream” in a 1:1 ratio (8 ounces to 8 ounces) of cream cheese to butter with enough confectioners’ sugar to thicken the consistency to pipe beautifully. Sometimes, I even use one stick of salted butter with one stick of unsalted for a nice salty-sweet balance.”

What makes our Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream wicked good? This exceptional buttercream literally melts on your tongue. It is buttery-rich, creamy and smooth with a slight tang from the cream cheese and not overly sweet. Due to an adequate amount of fat from the butter, this special buttercream pipes beautifully. Our Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream is versatile and pairs extremely well with white cakes, yellow cakes and chocolate cakes alike as well as cupcakes, cheesecakes and other sweet treats like baked doughnuts while proving to be absolutely indispensable in frosting carrot cakes and Red Velvet Cake. Quite simply the Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream! Wicked good, indeed.

Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream

Description

This exceptional buttercream literally melts on the tongue. It is buttery-rich, creamy and smooth with a slight tang from the cream cheese and not overly sweet. Due to the adequate amount of butter, this special buttercream pipes beautifully. It pairs extremely well with white cakes, yellow cakes and chocolate cakes alike—especially Red Velvet Cake—as well as cupcakes, cheesecakes and other baked treats. Quite simply the Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream!

Directions

Using an electric stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or handheld mixer and large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until creamy.

Add cream cheese and vanilla; beat until fully incorporated. Gradually increase mixer speed to high and continue beating until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary with rubber spatula.

Beat on high speed until well combined and smooth while scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, about 1 to 2 minutes. Before frosting cake layers, rebeat buttercream to ensure smoothness.

Yield: Makes about 4½ cups; enough to fill and frost a 9-inch two layer cake, or 8-inch three layer cake, or 18 to 24 cupcakes—depending on amount used to simply ice cupcakes with a knife or icing spatula (in the traditional manner) or pipe elaborate swirls, or decorate with other piping details.

Recipe Notes

Tips:

If not using immediately, the buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temperature before beating smooth again.

If using the buttercream to pipe details, be sure to use chilled hands when handling pastry bag as warm hands can melt the buttercream.

About Stacy

Stacy Bryce is a recipe developer and member of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals). Her passion is developing original conventional baking recipes as well as special diet recipes to include dairy-free, gluten-free and grain-free. You can follow Stacy at Pinterest.

You’re making all these delicious frostings that I want to just lick! I would love to have a spoonful of this and probably never stop. This looks so so good!!Julie @ Table for Two recently posted…Parmesan and Spinach Orzo

I would love a piece of that carrot cake right now. And the buttercream looks so creamy and smooth, just how I like it. Love all of your amazing frosting and dessert recipes, Stacy! Pinned!Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor recently posted…Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

Carrot cake is my favourite cake, and so naturally cream cheese buttercream! You’re so right; I had to change the cream cheese frosting recipe I was using for clients a long time ago because during experimenting it was just too loose! I love that it’s equal parts – great idea!

Thank you, Jessica! Yes, I could never understand why so many cream cheese frosting recipes seemed to prevail as they all contained too much cream cheese to butter in the ratio. I hope you will try this recipe soon. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

Hi there, Nikki! Thank you for writing. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been out sick for the past several months but hope to return to blogging soon. The only food coloring I recommend for this recipe is paste food coloring, all-natural preferred. Other food colorings have too much liquid in them and will break down this buttercream and make it too soft to work with. The brand of all-natural paste food coloring I use is by ChefMaster. It is difficult to find. I buy mine from The Baker’s Kitchen. Here is a link: Chefmaster Natural Food Colors. They come in 1-ounce jars. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, happy baking and… Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

I’m with Laura, I could just sit myself down and eat this with a spoon. I have had trouble finding a good cream cheese frosting, you are totally right about the sweetness, to saltiness and butteriness ratios. The last one I made gave me a sugar headache.. Not pretty. 🙂 I cannot wait to give this one a go.

Hahaha! Well, this buttercream recipe is the one for you…you’ll love sampling it straight from the spoon! And, yes…those sugar headaches are no fun. I hope you’ll try this buttercream recipe soon. Please let me know what you think!

This cream cheese frosting looks amazingly creamy and smooth and makes me want to grab my spoon and scoop some up. I love that you came up with the proper ratios for a cream cheese buttercream that isn’t too sweet and has just the right consistency. Loving all your gorgeous cake and frosting recipes Stacy 🙂Kelly recently posted…A Tale of Two Fortunes – Green Tea and Red Velvet Fortune Cookies

Thank you, Kelly! I’m sort of on a cake kick right now which should carry over into February with some cookie recipes that I have been dying to share for quite some time! Thank you for the sweet compliments and for stopping by! 🙂

Great recipe, I totally agree about the ratios. I also add a couple tablespoons of heavy cream and whip it for a couple minutes. It add some fluffy-ness that is to die for. I am making this cake this weekend, I cannot wait!

Thank you, Kelly! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. And, yes…adding a few teaspoons or tablespoons can really give frostings a lift that otherwise they would not have. This recipe, you can whip it longer and you will get more lift as well. Thanks for stopping by and have fun baking your cake this weekend!

There is nothing I like more than a carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. I am loving your ratios here Stacy! This frosting looks perfect!Trish – Mom On Timeout recently posted…Caramelized Onion Dip

Oh, Stacy, you and your buttercream recipes lately. 🙂 They all look so silky and smooth and delicious! And this buttercream frosting does pipe beautifully as evident in the photos! Well done! 🙂Julia | JuliasAlbum.com recently posted…Simple red wine mushroom sauce recipe

I am always in search of a better cream cheese buttercream icing, but it seems I need look no further!!! Yours looks sensational! Now I have this urge to bake up your carrot cake just to try this out!Lindsey @ American Heritage Cooking recently posted…Silver Dollar Chocolate Chip Cookies

I read through the ingredients with hope, but saw the whopping 4 to 4 1/2(!) cups sugar and about lost it. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve really started appreciating cake. I don’t like cloyingly sweet cake nor cloyingly sweet frosting. Nor do I like a lot of frosting: it certainly doesn’t have to be 1/2″ thick or more, that’s for sure!

For a two layer carrot cake, I usually just take my 8 oz. softened (but not too softened!) cream cheese, add about 1/4 c. powdered sugar, and about a capful of vanilla. But then, I don’t pipe anything, either. Takes too much time!!! I mean, what’s the use in using perfectly good cheese if it’s just gonna taste like sugar. (And why I normally don’t add butter or margarine. I want it to taste cheesy.)

Anyway, I’m making a three layer cake (Italian cream cake) which had called for the 8 oz cream cheese and 1/4 c. butter – plus another 4 cups sugar. Blech! Looks like 4 oz more cream cheese, 1/4 c. more powdered sugar, and 1/4 cap full more vanilla to frost the extra layer…

Hi there, C.! Thank you for writing and sharing your strong opinions. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. Well, let’s address your concerns. First, the amount of sugar in a recipe is personal preference. Secondly, there is a good amount of butter in this recipe which requires more sugar to make a true Cream Cheese Buttercream. Note the word “buttercream”. Interestingly, this recipe is NOT cloyingly sweet. In fact, I even write about this fact in the article portion of the post. It is also personal preference for frosting an entire cake versus only between the layers. Many people enjoy the extra buttercream to pipe decorations for special occasions such as birthday parties and weddings. What I think has you a bit confused is that you prefer a Cream Cheese Frosting. Note the word “frosting”. Butter is all-natural and cream cheese is processed, so to each his own. 🙂 Thanks again for writing and happy baking!

Oh my gawd, Stacy… I found myself a little stalled when you mentioned the carrot cake. I have always had a hard time with certain icings. I’m definitely trying this one! Pinning!Gloria // Simply Gloria recently posted…Parmesan Cream Sauce

Aww…thank you, Gloria! After getting to know your blog and tastes a little bit better, I just know you will love this version of Cream Cheese Buttercream. Thanks for the pin. I truly appreciate it. Meanwhile, enjoy and I hope you bake that carrot cake soon!

Ahhh thanks for sharing this recipe! While I think no wrong can come out of cream cheese frosting, I’ve definitely made a few batches that were either too sweet, too thick, too runny, etc. This does look perfect and I will definitely keep it in mind!Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic recently posted…Pictures of My Manila Life

Pass me a spoon please!! I love cream cheese frosting be it on carrot cake or red velvet! This looks so smooth and I can see it just melting away in my mouth. Delicious!!Zainab @ Blahink Baker recently posted…Molten Chocolate Mocha Cakes

Hi there, Cathy! Thank you for writing. To answer your question… Yes, you certainly may tint cream cheese buttercream. The best way is to use either paste or gel colors. It will work beautifully with no problems. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, happy cake baking and decorating!

Hi there, Jessica! Most buttercreams will crust over a bit. This one, with cream cheese in it, crusts over but only mildly. I’m not sure why you are needing it to crust over to smooth it with paper towel, but I would suggest that you use another recipe (one that you know crusts over enough) for what you are trying to accomplish. This one stays really soft under the mild crusting. Meanwhile, I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Happy baking and best of luck to you with your cake and frosting project!

I have a go-to buttercream icing but I’m looking for another one that comes out WHITE, not yellowish. Judging by the photo I’d say it looks white, but what would you consider it? I’m thinking anything that uses a bunch of butter will have a yellow tinge… Thoughts?

Hi there, Amy! This Cream Cheese Buttercream is definitely light in color…perhaps a nice light ivory. Although there is butter in this recipe, the cream cheese being white balances the yellow in the butter. When you whip up the butter it turns much lighter. Plus, when you add the confectioners’ sugar, it turns the frosting even whiter. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Thanks for dropping by and happy cake making!

Hi there, Sia! Yes, due to the dairy (especially cream cheese) you will need to refrigerate the cupcakes for food safety reasons. A cupcake keeper inside a cooler would be ideal. Thank you for writing and I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Have a fabulous picnic birthday bash!

Hi stacey – I’m making a 5 tier “naked” carrot cake – do you think this icing has enough butter in it to give it the stability and density needed for the layering? Also, the cake will be at room temp for quite a few hours….I need something that won’t melt on me!

Hi there, Jen! Thank you for writing. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. To answer your question, this recipe does have enough butter in it to give it both stability and density for layer cakes. The cake should be able to stand at room temperature with this buttercream without melting…so long as it doesn’t get too warm. However, the cake should not sit out at room temperature longer than 1 to 2 hours due to the dairy in it for food safety reasons. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Thanks again for writing and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

Hi there, Lacy! Thank you for writing. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe. It has been a family favorite for years. 🙂 Thanks again for writing. Meanwhile, best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

Hi – I am making red velvet cupcakes for a wedding – I see from the comment above that they will need to be refridgerated until the wedding – but will the icing handle a little bit of warmth? I live in South Africa so the temperature should be around 25-28 degrees C, and obviously the cupcakes will need to be transported (a trip of about an hour) and then will be sitting on people’s tables as they will be used as the favours. Will this icing be alright for this purpose? Or should I use another – for example I was looking at your white chocolate cream cheese frosting as another option.

Hi there, Melissa! Thank you for writing. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. To answer your question… This recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream would hold up better than my White Chocolate Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe since it is so light and airy. However, the long trip, unrefrigerated, and then sitting out for a long time on tables before eaten, would most likely pose a problem, food safety issues as well due to the cream cheese as it is dairy, at those warm temperatures. When faced with situations like this, I like to remove up to 4 tablespoons of butter from a buttercream or frosting recipe and add the same amount of vegetable shortening for a more stable frosting. My top choice for vegetable shortening is actually palm shortening by Spectrum brand because the taste is phenomenal, it is organic, mechanically pressed (instead of processed with chemicals) and is non-hydrogenated. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Once again, thank you for writing. Happy baking!

Hi there, Jewel! Thank you for writing. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. It would seem that your kids would love this recipe for Mint Cream Cheese Buttercream here on the blog. 🙂 Thanks again for writing and happy baking! Also… best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

This makes the best frosting, I you won’t ever want to use canned frosting again. Who knew it was so simple to make & no chemicals or funky stuff. I always half the recipe and make it with 1 stick of butter, 1/2 bar of cream cheese, 1 1/2 c of powder sugar, and the vanilla. I don’t like the super sweet frosting’s, but this is absolutely PERFECT!

Thank you for writing and for the compliments, Chasity! Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply. I have been away from blogging for several months due to illness. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. It has been a family favorite for many years! Thanks again for writing, my friend. And… Best wishes to you in the New Year!

Hi there, Elaine! Thank you for writing and please accept my apologies for the delayed reply. I have been out sick the past several months but hope to return to blogging soon. To answer your question, the absolute best confectioners’ sugar to use when making buttercreams (of any kind) is to use “pure cane sugar” (like Domino or C&H brands) rather than beet sugar. (If the label doesn’t state “pure cane sugar”, it is made with beet sugar.) By using pure cane sugar, your buttercreams will always be smoother as will your homemade caramel sauces. (Pure cane sugar caramelizes better than beet sugar.) Also, your Cream Cheese Buttercream could be curdling a little if it is a very warm day and your kitchen is warm. To ward against this, try using butter that is not overly soft (not at room temperature, but just slightly softened) and use your brick of cream cheese well chilled straight from the fridge. Beat your butter first and let your mixer work out the lumps. Then add your cold cream cheese and, again, let the mixer do the work by beating. Finally, refrain from using any artificial flavorings as they contain water and propylene glycol which can break down your buttercreams. I recommend pure extracts, fresh vanilla bean pulp and fresh citrus zest for exceptionally flavored buttercreams. You can also try placing your mixing bowl in the fridge and stirring your buttercream every 10 minutes or so with a rubber spatula until it reaches desired consistency. Thanks again for writing, Elaine. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. I just know your next batch of Cream Cheese Buttercream will be a major success! Meanwhile, happy baking and… Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi there, Cathy! Thank you for writing and please accept my apologies for the delayed reply. I have been out sick the past several months but hope to return to blogging soon. To answer your question, it depends on what you mean “for decorating”. If you mean elaborate cakes, I would say you might want to use a crusting buttercream. This Cream Cheese Buttercream does not crust very much if at all. It does make a beautiful rose cake though! When tinting this particular buttercream, be sure to use paste food coloring. You may already know this, but liquid food coloring will add too much moisture making this buttercream too soft to pipe with. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, happy baking and cake decorating!

This carrotcake looks amazing!! I can’t find the recipe of the cake on the site, so could you give the recipe? I love carrotcake and this cream chees frosting looks delicious and I really really really want to make this so please please please?

Hi, Miranda! Thank you for writing. The recipe link is in the third paragraph of the article section (at the top of the page) for the Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe. To make it easy, here is the link: Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake ~ Bakery Style. Thank you for your interest in my blog. I hope to be back soon after this terrible illness. (I have been out for months.) Meanwhile, you are going to love the cake and I just know it will be a success!

Hi! I made this frosting for a pumpkin bread and my friend ate it all! She compared it to the nectar of the gods! Haha I will definitely be making this again. It was my first homemade frosting and the recipe was so easy to follow! Thanks again!

I’m making a carrot cake for my husband’s potluck at work for tomorrow, and for some reason my go-to cream cheese frosting came out gloopy as all get-out last night. After a couple of tears (lol), I tried again this morning and discovered your recipe. I usually like using at least a little salted butter, so I tried using half salted/half unsalted, plus a bit of creme bouquet in place of some of the vanilla (i love that stuff..). The taste is great, I’d say at least as good as my go-to frosting if not a bit better (which is saying a LOT) — the only problem is the consistency. This one has turned out soft as well, though not as soft as my failed normal version which uses more cream cheese. Because of the slightly warmer temp today, I had a chilled bowl and chilled beaters (hand mixer), and the consistency was really great with the first cup or cup and a 1/2 of powdered sugar. Once I got to 2 1/2 cups (my normal amount), it got soft. I refrigerated it for a good while but it was still really really soft, and I’ve whipped it good. Real good lol. My butter and cream cheese were softened but not melted. Is there anything that can be done to firm up frosting once it has reached that soft point? Adding more powdered sugar NEVER works for me, only makes things worse (besides adding way too much sweetness — I like a gooey tangy cheesy cream cheese frosting). Basically, the mass of buttercream will slide slightly when the bowl is tilted whereas it should be nice and stiff.

Thank you for this recipe though, it’s really delicious and I cannot wait to try your carrot cake version!

Hi there, Holly! Thank you for writing. I am so sorry you are having buttercream troubles. This happens on very warm days and in very warm kitchens or when using ingredients that can wreak havoc – like artificial flavorings with additives. Here is my professional advice the next time you make your Cream Cheese Buttercream (after having made this recipe nearly a hundred times, LOL!). Use only slightly softened butter (not room temperature as this will yield butter that is too soft to work with for this recipe) and let your mixer work out any lumps during beating before adding the cream cheese. Next, use your brick of cream cheese well chilled right from the fridge. No softening necessary. Just let your mixer do the work beating the cream cheese into the butter. Do not whip and whip and whip! Doing so in a very warm kitchen will only yield a buttercream that is too soft to work with. Beat the sifted confectioners’ sugar in well, but do not over-whip. If needed, place your mixing bowl in the fridge and stir the buttercream with a spatula every 10 minutes or so until desired consistency is reached. This will keep it from getting too soft and separating. If you ever plan on serving a cake using this Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe on a warm day, consider subtracting a few tablespoons of butter (perhaps up to 4 tablespoons) and using palm shortening in an even swap. (It’s so much better than regular vegetable shortening or Crisco! I use Spectrum brand as it is all-natural, organic and non-hydrogenated. It does not feel waxy on the tongue like Crisco and is even healthier for us. It’s my go-to shortening when I need to firm up a buttercream.) Also, consider only using pure vanilla extract for this recipe. I agree with you that Creme Bouquet has a nice flavor, but the additives in it can be breaking down your Cream Cheese Buttercream. (Water is the first ingredient listed and they also use propylene glycol! Not good.) It is much better to use all-natural flavorings that will not break down your buttercream, like pure extracts, especially when working with Cream Cheese Buttercream. Here is my tip: Make your own Creme Bouquet flavoring by using pure vanilla extract, pure almond extract and just a drop or two (or a combination of) pure lemon and pure orange extracts. Use your own taste buds as your guide, but use more vanilla and just hints (drops) of the others and then whip in, taste and adjust to your liking. Alternatively, use King Arthur Flour’s Fiori di Sicilia, literally, “the flowers of Sicily”. (I buy the larger bottle at 4 ounces, but it does come in a 1-ounce bottle.) You will love it if you love Creme Bouquet! Also, I leave you with a couple final baking tips that professionals use: Try using Lemon Juice Powder (also available at KAF) in your baking when you do not want to add liquid as with fresh lemon juice. In your buttercreams, you can also try using fresh lemon and orange zest (so pretty in buttercreams!) along with pure vanilla extract and a whisper of (drop or two or three) pure almond extract. Using fresh citrus zest will not add liquid to your buttercream, but will yield an extraordinary flavor profile. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Your next batch of Cream Cheese Buttercream will be fabulous! Thanks again for dropping by. Meanwhile, happy baking and…Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂

Thank you for commenting, Danielle! My pleasure. I’m so glad this in-depth answer to Holly and her buttercream troubles was helpful to you as well. Thanks again for dropping by and happy baking and buttercream making!

Hi Stacy!
I am making a Praline Pumpkin Cake for Thanksgiving. It is a Betty Crocker recipe but my mom swears its good! I am going to make my own cream cheese frosting rather than the store bought. The cake is very sweet. Do you think this frosting would be a good match, or would it be too rich for an already rich cake? Thank you for your advice!!
Jenna AdamsJenna recently posted…White Velvet Layer Cake with Strawberry-Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream

Hi there, Jenna! Thank you for writing. Wow…your Praline Pumpkin Cake sounds divine! Always trust mom. They know best! 🙂 I am so glad to hear that you will be making your own Cream Cheese Buttercream for Thanksgiving. This recipe will complement your cake perfectly because it isn’t too sweet. It’s nice and buttery and melts on the tongue nicely. A real crowd pleaser. You will love it! Thanks again for writing, my friend. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, happy baking and best wishes to you and your family for a happy and meaningful Thanksgiving!

Hi there, Kim! Thank you for writing. To answer your question, no. This buttercream recipe does not crust as you would expect and I would not recommend it for piped fondant embellishments. Sorry about that! You will definitely want to use a good crusting buttercream for your purposes. You’ll just have to whip up a batch of lemony blueberry cupcakes or a lovely layer cake to use this fabulous buttercream recipe. (Oh, darn! ;)) Thank you for taking the time to write, my friend. Meanwhile, happy baking and…best wishes to you and yours for a happy and meaningful Thanksgiving!

Hi there, Christie! Thank you for writing. This Cream Cheese Buttercream will hold its shape if piped so long as your kitchen doesn’t get too warm. If it does, the buttercream will soften. Also, this buttercream doesn’t crust over like crusting buttercreams. I hope that I have answered your questions. Happy Thanksgiving!

This is absolutely the most perfectly divine cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made! It is beyond anything I could have imagined for piping on cupcakes and every single time I’ve used this recipe it gets rave reviews! My sweet girl has even requested this for her birthday cupcakes this weekend! Thank you a million times over!!

Thank you, Tami! My pleasure. I appreciate the kind words on the recipe. It truly is the Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. Much better than Cream Cheese Frosting (using far less butter). This is why I call it a “Buttercream” in the title. 🙂 Happy birthday wishes for your sweet pea. And, best wishes to you and yours for a holiday season that is both merry and bright!

Thank you for writing. I am so sorry that you experienced buttercream troubles with this recipe. Warm weather and warm kitchens can definitely play havoc with buttercreams. Here are some tips to prevent separation:

1. Use only slightly softened butter (not room temperature as this will yield butter that is too soft to work with for this recipe) and let your mixer work out any lumps during beating before adding the cream cheese.

2. Next, use your brick of cream cheese well chilled right from the fridge. No softening necessary. Just let your mixer do the work beating the cream cheese into the butter.

3. Do not over-whip buttercream in a warm kitchen, as this will yield a buttercream that is too soft to work with.

4. If necessary, for instance on a very warm day, place your mixing bowl in the fridge and stir the buttercream with a spatula every 10 minutes or so until desired consistency is reached. This will keep the buttercream from getting too soft and separating.

5. As for confectioners’ sugar, the absolute best to use when making buttercreams (of any kind) is to use “100% pure cane sugar”, such as C&H® or Domino® Sugar brands, rather than beet sugar. (If the label does not state “pure cane sugar”, it is made with beet sugar.) By using pure cane sugar, your buttercreams will always be smoother as will your homemade caramel sauces. Pure cane sugar caramelizes better than beet sugar.

6. Use vegetable shortening to prevent buttercreams from separating. If planning on serving a cake using this Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe on a warm day, consider subtracting a few tablespoons of butter (perhaps up to 4 tablespoons) and use palm shortening in an even swap. It is so much better than regular vegetable shortening or Crisco®. I use Spectrum® brand as it is all-natural, organic and non-hydrogenated. It does not feel waxy on the tongue like Crisco® and is even healthier for us. It is my go-to shortening whenever I need to firm up a buttercream.

7. Refrain from using any artificial flavorings as they contain water and additives like propylene glycol—which can break down buttercreams. Water often is the first ingredient listed and some contain propylene glycol. It is much better to use all-natural flavorings that will not break down buttercreams, like pure extracts—especially when working with Cream Cheese Buttercream.

8. Use only pure extracts, fresh vanilla bean pulp and fresh citrus zest for exceptionally flavored buttercreams. Fresh citrus zest, such as lemon and orange, will not add liquid to your buttercream and look so pretty blended into buttercreams.

9. When using pure almond extract along with pure vanilla extract, add a whisper (a drop or two or three) then adjust to taste for an extraordinary flavor profile.

10. Finally, the only food coloring I recommend for this recipe is paste food coloring, all-natural preferred. Other food colorings have too much liquid in them and will break down this buttercream and make it too soft to work with. The brand of all-natural paste food coloring I use is by ChefMaster. It can be difficult to find. I buy mine from The Baker’s Kitchen. Here is a link: Chefmaster Natural Food Colors. They come in 1-ounce jars.

Vinnett, I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. I just know that your next batch of Cream Cheese Buttercream will be fabulous! Thanks again for writing.

Hello Stacy, just bumped into your website whilst looking to find if it is possible to use cream cheese as a filling (not frosting) in a cake. If it will hold weight of cake it’s wedged in between. Also, if it goes with vanilla sponge cake (as opposed to buttercream). A colleague who bakes says it won’t really go, best to stick with buttercream, that buttercream goes more more with carrot or red velvet cakes. I love cream chese frosting and hope I can use your recipe for buttercream cream cheese. Thanks in advance

Thank you for writing. You pose an interesting question and I do have an idea for you to consider. For a light sponge cake (both in texture and weight), you could go with a light and fluffy Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting and use it as a filling in lieu of a heavier buttercream made with butter.

To make it, simply use 1 pound of cream cheese (two 8-ounce bricks) and beat in 1½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract until smooth and creamy with your mixer’s paddle attachment. (You could also use the pulp scraped from a split vanilla bean pod if you prefer the look of the natural tiny flecks in the filling. This would make a beautiful filling.) Then, in a chilled bowl with whisk attachment, whip 1 cup chilled heavy cream until just about stiff peak stage. Add the whipped cream to the sweetened and flavored cream cheese and beat until well combined without overbeating. Use immediately.

This recipe will make enough to frost and fill an 8- or 9-inch double layer cake and should hold up well between the layers (weight) of your cake. Also, it should go extremely well with your sponge cake due to the fat in the heavy cream in lieu of butter…just enough to make it velvety smooth. It would also be an ideal filling and frosting for carrot, pumpkin or red velvet cakes.

Thanks again for writing. If you don’t think this idea will work for the cream cheese filling concept you have in mind for your sponge cake, you can always go with my recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. 🙂

Hi. Looks good!
I have a quick question: Is there a place to access unsalted butter that doesn’t have the flavoring added? I find it stinky! 😉 I can access all natural, home-made butter but have to drive out into the country to get it, about an hour’s drive. Would love to just order it somewhere. Thanks!

Thank you for writing, my friend. I just visited your blog and read your About page. You are my kind of lady! 🙂

To answer your question, I think what you want is a wonderful, cultured butter or even a French cultured butter—both made from high quality grass-fed dairy cream with no additives and a higher fat content between 83% and 86%.

It is my pleasure to provide you with two (2) links to online sources to purchase fine-quality unsalted butter and have it delivered conveniently to your front door:

GourmetFoodstore.com – GourmetFoodstore.com is highly recommended by cookbook author David Lebovitz here. I believe they are located in Boca Raton, Florida.iGourmet.com – They are located in West Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, if you would like to try your hand at making your own cultured butter, here is a helpful article (again recommended by David Lebovitz): Getting Some Culture

The quality butter I buy at my local Whole Foods Market comes packaged in a 1-pound roll and is by Hartzler Family Dairy in Wooster, Ohio. So, you may consider asking the helpful staff at your local Whole Foods Market for a good recommendation. 🙂

Once again, thank you for writing. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely.

I know I’m a little weird, but I love sweet and salty combinations. Any frosting/icing/filling with salted butter is something I would love, so I’m really excited to try this with half salted butter. I was never much of a sweets person until recently, so I get seriously icked out by a lot of buttercream recipes. I love, love, LOVE cream cheese, too.

Thank you, Jenny! You will love this recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream. In fact, you may want to experiment and try it both ways…once with part salted and unsalted butter and once with all salted butter…to see which you prefer if you really like salty notes in buttercreams. You may also want to try my recipe for Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream and use Salted Caramel Sauce. It’s truly divine! Thanks for stopping by and happy baking and buttercream making!

Thank you for writing, Cheryl! My pleasure. I’m so glad you enjoyed this cream cheese buttercream recipe. It has been a family favorite for years and complements nearly any kind of cake. I love that you used it for your favorite chocolate cake! Mmmm.

Hi there, Shellie! Thank you for writing. To answer your question, the recipe states the following in the ingredients list, “spooned in cup, leveled off & sifted”. Just to clarify, measure the confectioners’ sugar by spooning into the measuring cup, level it off and then sift. I hope this clarification helps! Meanwhile, thank you for writing and happy baking! 🙂

Hi Stacy this Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting looks amazing!
I have a couple questions. Firstly, I’m making vanilla cupcakes for my sister’s birthday tomorrow and I was wondering which frosting would be better for piping roses?
Secondly, how much would you think is enough for decorating 4 dozen cupcakes? Should I double the recipe?
I would really really appreciate your opinion!!
Thanks in advance!!

Generally a buttercream recipe that will frost a two-layer 9-inch cake or three-layer 8-inch cake, as with this one, will frost up to 24 cupcakes. But, that is frosting them as with an icing spatula…not piping details.

Once you get into piping details, it really depends on how much buttercream you wish to generously pipe onto each cupcake. This recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream provides a little extra for piping a border around a cake. So, for 48 cupcakes, you would at least need to make a recipe and a half to be on the safe side. That should do the trick if you plan on piping a simple rose swirl on top and not getting all “high hat” about it. 😉

As for the best buttercream to use, I have several here on the blog that you may like. Since you came to my Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe page, I can suggest that you also consider using one of my latest cream cheese buttercream recipes for Best Ever Decorator’s Cream Cheese Buttercream. That particular cream cheese buttercream forms a light crust and alabaster sheen. It is used to decorate cakes to make them look as if they are covered in fondant. It is very thick and very sweet, however. If you prefer a creamy, lighter buttercream that isn’t too sweet, with a cream cheese “tang” to the frosting, and a white frosting, I would go with this one, Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream.

Meanwhile, below are some links to the other flavorful cream cheese buttercreams on the blog with the most popular being the Lemon, Caramel and Strawberry (Cherry), in that order.

Hi. I love the thought of using this recipe to apply some piping designs (the usual recipes you find for buttercream are not very tasty). Will the consistency work well making roses and stars, etc. Love the blog. Thanks.

Hi there, Shannon! Thank you for writing. To answer your question… Yes, this particular Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe is ideal for piping decorations due to the high butter (fat) content. If you take a close look at this blog post, you will see that I included a photo of my Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake using this recipe to frost it. On this cake, I piped a border. It may only be a border, but it shows how lovely the piping looks and that it holds up well. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Thanks again for writing, Shannon. Happy baking, buttercream making and cake decorating!

Thank you for writing. To answer your important question, Cream Cheese Buttercream frostings with a nice, high fat content such as this recipe freeze well. No variation to the buttercream recipe is necessary.

Meanwhile, here are some tips for freezing and thawing your frosted cupcakes so they will be as good as freshly made:

1) Plan on plenty of freezer space and a safe location for thawing (i.e., no children running around or catering/kitchen interference) at the event.

2) When Freezing: Give the frosted cupcakes a “flash freeze” by placing them in the freezer on a baking sheet uncovered. Freeze until the buttercream has hardened. (This will happen relatively quickly.) Carefully transfer cupcakes to an airtight container, like Rubbermaid or Tupperware, or individual cupcake containers to prevent freezer burn during longer term storage.

3) When Thawing: Keep the frosted cupcakes in the airtight container to thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour. This way, the condensation (moisture beads) will form on the container and not on the cupcakes, which would interfere with the frosting and/or make the cupcakes a bit soggy. Then, open the container to allow any excess moisture out, about 1 hour additional. This will prevent your cupcake liners from separating from your cupcakes due to excess moisture. (Using grease proof cupcake liners and removing the cupcakes out of the pans as soon as they are finished baking helps prevent added moisture from forming due to trapped steam helps prevent cupcake liners from separating as well.) Display the cupcakes as planned for serving.

Thanks again for writing, Cindi. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely.

Hi there Lee-Anne, To tell you the truth, I think the whiter color of my Cream Cheese Buttercream is because I used Land O’ Lakes Butter for this photo shoot. It is a very blonde butter compared to European-style butter that is more yellow. To answer your question about using this frosting for a wedding cake, I think it would be a fabulous choice. Many brides and grooms make special requests for it and guests always rave. For the rustic finish, do you mean with “naked” sides around the cake but with embellishments, like berries or flowers, on the top? If so, this buttercream is ideal. It is still all the rage in cake decorating, with tiered cakes, for special occasions and weddings. Good luck and have fun!

Hi there, Constance! Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in answering your question. I recently returned to blogging after an illness and I’m just now getting caught up with questions on the blog. To answer your question, this buttercream is a good decorating buttercream if you like a soft and billowy buttercream. However, if you would like a crusting buttercream, I highly recommend my recipe for Best Ever Decorator’s Cream Cheese Buttercream. For both recipes, if you will be tinting it orange, I only recommend paste food colorings. I like to use all-natural paste food colors by MasterChef® and purchase mine from The Baker’s Kitchen. Thanks again for writing with such a good question. Meanwhile, I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Happy baking! 🙂

Hi,
The recipe looks great, I am baking red-velvet cake tomorrow, for my little sisterz 20th birthday. I am gona use this butter cream cheese recipe. I have already made some fondant accents (tiny flowers and wafer butterflies), since the frosting is soft, I am thinking of frosting the cake a day before and leave it in the fridge for a day. Will decorate the cake just few hours before the birthday party. Do you think this would work????

Hi there, Shifra! I’m so glad you are making this recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream for your Red Velvet Cake to celebrate your sister’s 20th birthday. This buttercream is so ideal and buttery-rich for Red Velvet Cake. She will love it! 🙂 Yes, you can certainly refrigerate the cake after making it in advance to firm up the buttercream for decorating with small fondant embellishments. However, be sure to bring the cake to room temperature (or near room temperature) before slicing and serving. This is important so the flavors come through and the frosting isn’t too hard. Cold cake doesn’t taste nearly as good as room temperature cake. Before guests arrive, the cake out of the fridge and take any photos you want of it. Then keep it out at room temperature perhaps on display on a table. Then slice and serve about an hour or so later. Thanks for writing with such a good question. Your cake will be beautiful. 🙂 Happy baking and have fun at the birthday bash!

Oh thanks a ton Stacy, you are such a sweet saviour 🙂
sorry, one last question, hope this recipe would give the cake a smooth finish, I am a bit perfectionist, I’m hoping to get a smooth finish (dat looks like fondant with out bumps and creased look)
Thanks a ton will share the picz of the cake (if i can). Thankz again Im gona follow your blog regularly, you have some great recipes with great tips 🙂
hope to get your reply soon 🙂

Thank you, Louise! My pleasure. That Robyn over at Add A Pinch… she has some wicked Southern recipes, doesn’t she? I’m so glad you enjoyed your cake. Everyone I know loves this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. It’s so smooth, not-too-sweet and buttery-good! Thanks again for writing, my friend. Best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful upcoming holiday season!

I saw the post about using a paste food coloring. If I can’t find the paste then could I just add some food coloring to a couple ounces of cream cheese (2 extra ounces of cream cheese)? If that wouldn’t work is there another alternative?

Hi there, Stacy! Thank you for writing with such a good question. For my buttercream recipes, including my recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream, I only recommend paste food coloring and an all-natural one at that, by ChefMaster®. The reason is because liquid food colorings (many with additives) can break buttercream frostings down and cause them to separate and not pipe nicely. You can certainly try a gel food coloring and see how it goes. However, I would test the brand you select, first, and do a trial run before making buttercream for a special occasion cake or cupcakes for a special event. Good luck! Thanks again for writing and happy baking and buttercream making!

I LOVE THIS. I’ve used the lemon cream cheese buttercream as filling in lavender macarons 🙂 I used this and added a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to frost pumpkin spice cupcakes 😍 it was amazing!

Thank you, Kennedy! You are like me with the spices. I cannot get enough of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves this time of year. Next time, try the spices in our Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream recipe. To die for, for caramel lovers! Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful upcoming holiday season!

I have used this for 2 months now, I wanted to thank you for this post. This is by far the best frosting I have tasted. I have used it to frost your carrot cake, my cinnamon rolls, cookies..etc. You Rock, Stacy! With Hanukkah almost over, Christmas is around the corner, I am a baking machine.David recently posted…Peppermint Cream Cheese Buttercream {best ever}

Thank you, David! I am so glad you enjoy this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. It truly is a buttercream versus a Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s a family favorite. If you enjoy cream cheese in baking and buttercream making, I hope you will try my recipe for Honey-Nut Rugelach. It’s the best! So perfect for Hanukkah and Christmas both. But, I am warning you…make a double batch. They go fast and are everyone’s favorites! Thanks again for dropping by and have fun in the kitchen with your holiday baking, David. 🙂 Warmest wishes to you and yours for a happy holiday season and New Year!

Thank you, Michelle! My pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to drop by and comment. I appreciate it so much and am so glad you enjoy this recipe as much as we do at our house. 🙂 Warmest wishes to you and yours for a happy holiday season and New Year!

i’ll be making a “Elsa” Frozen cake this coming weekend for my grand-daughter’s 4th birthday. I have to transport the cake already made and decorated about 200 kms, would this cream cheese frosting hold up to so much travelling?? I want to decoarate “Elsa’s” hair using this icing.

Hi there, Janice! Thank you for writing with such a great question. As I understand, the duration of your trip will be between 1 to 2 hours or so. This particular recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream will hold up well depending on the temperature of its surroundings (your car or other means of travel) and the temperature outdoors. If not too warm, your cake will be fine. However, just before leaving on your trip, I suggest that you give the cake a slight chill in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes only. This short trip in the fridge will help set or firm up your buttercream for the trip without changing the texture of your cake if making a butter cake. (Butter cakes will firm up when chilled.) Your grand-daughter’s “Elsa” birthday cake sounds lovely and I just know that you will create fond birthday memories for her. 🙂 Thanks again for writing. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly. Happy baking and buttercream making, and have fun at the birthday party!

I don’t know if you still read the comments on this recipe, but I just made this frosting for a valentines cake (late, I know, but it for work tomorrow) and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Nice and fluffy and like you said, not sickening sweet with just the right about of cream cheese tartness. I will be using this from now on when needing a cream cheese frosting. Thank you so much!!!!

I just read somewhere about chilling it if driving for some time in warm weather. While it’s cold here (very), I figured I would put the frosted cake in the frig until tomorrow (so about 12 hours). Will that ruin the frosting?

Never mind, I just read up and saw you already answered this question and that I should take the cake out at least an hour before serving. It will actually be out for a couple of hours before serving so I should be good!!!!!!!

No problem, Lynda! You are correct…you will be just fine taking the cake out of the fridge 2 hours before cutting and serving. Just be sure to keep the cake covered so the condensation (any moisture beads) forms on the cake cover and not on your buttercream. Thanks again for dropping by and have fun tomorrow at work celebrating Valentine’s Day with your co-workers! 🙂

Hi again, Lynda! No, chilling the cake will not ruin the recipe for this buttercream. Just be sure to bring the cake closer to room temperature for the optimal flavor and texture experience for the frosting. Thanks for writing in with your question and I hope that I have answered it to your satisfaction. 🙂

Hi there, Lynda! My pleasure. Thank you for your positive comments on this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. Yes, I still read comments here on the blog and for this recipe…even though I often fall behind in responding to questions. I am thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. It has been a favorite in our family since I was first married. Everyone loves it! Your cake sounds divine and I hope everyone enjoys it when you share it with your co-workers tomorrow. Thanks again for dropping by. I greatly appreciate your readership and hope you will stop by for my Layer Cake Series and ongoing Buttercream Series. 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thank you, Brandi! “Buttery cream cheese goodness” really sums it up. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. It is truly divine and all about the proper ratio of butter to cream cheese without too much sugar. Thanks for stopping by and happy baking!

THIS IS BY FAR, THE BEST CREAM CHEESE FROSTING I’VE EVER MADE!! I decorated cupcakes with the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator and they turned out so pretty and were scrumptious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. I’ll use no other.

Thank you for writing, Kathy! My pleasure. I am thrilled that you enjoy this recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream as much as we do at our house. Thanks again for writing. Happy baking and buttercream making! 🙂

If I am making cupcakes to deliver to a birthday party would the best ever cream cheese frosting be ok at room temperature for a while? I know you said the best ever buttercream frosted cake can stay at room temp for up to 3 days if covered. How do bakeries make a stable cream cheese frosting?

Hi there, Sandra! Thank you for writing with such great questions. 🙂 Please accept my sincere apologies for the tardy reply as I get many and try my best to keep up. To answer your question… Yes, our recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream will be okay at room temperature for a short while. If you wish to stabilize a cream cheese buttercream, the best way to accomplish that is to add shortening (I highly recommend palm shortening) and more confectioners’ sugar to offset it sweetening wise, to taste. As for how bakeries stabilize their buttercreams, there are many different ways and vary with each buttercream recipe as well as the preferences from baker to baker. In my tutorial for Best Ever American Buttercream, I present several ingredients that help emulsify and stabilize. Give it a read thru to understand a bit more about the emulsification and stabilization of buttercream frostings. In addition, you might like my recipe for Best Ever Decorator’s Cream Cheese Buttercream. Meanwhile, I hope that I have been helpful in answering your questions, Sandra. Good luck with your buttercream and happy baking! ~Stacy

Thank you for writing, Joyce! Yes, that is correct. I have found that softening the cream cheese leads to a too soft buttercream. This is especially true in the summertime when high temperatures create warm kitchen atmospheres. Using the cream cheese chilled straight from the fridge works best – especially if you wish to do some piping details. Just let your mixer to do the job of incorporating the chilled cream cheese into the butter until free of lumps. Thanks again for writing, Joyce. Happy baking and buttercream making!

Stacy, you’re my hero. I was asked to make a First Communion red velvet cake for next weekend, and I’ve been in a panic looking for a good cream cheese frosting. I truly love how you explain why a recipe works. You’re the best, lady! I’ll let you know how it comes out 🙂

Thanks for writing, Liz! Aww, you make me blush. 🙂 Girl, you are going to LOVE this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. Seriously. Everyone will rave! It’s buttery with the classic tang of Cream Cheese Buttercream without being overly sweet. Definitely let me know how your Red Velvet Cake turns out. There’s no doubt in my mind it will be the hit of the party!

Hi there, Jessica! Thank you for writing with such a great question. If I am understanding correctly, you are asking if our recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream will pipe beautifully for the ‘Rose Swirl’ technique using the 1M Wilton Open Star decorating tip. If so, the answer is YES. The reason why this recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream works using this piping application is due to the higher butter (fat) content compared to other Cream Cheese Frosting recipes. Do not add more confectioners’ sugar than called for, however, as sugar is hygroscopic and will break your buttercream down due to the added ‘water’ and, thus, make it too soft for piping. It is important to keep the fat ratio in check. If you will be working in a warm kitchen and your Cream Cheese Buttercream becomes too soft, place your work bowl with buttercream in the fridge for a quick chill and stir with a rubber spatula every few minutes until the desired consistency is reached for piping. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, happy baking, buttercream making and cake decorating! 🙂

Hi!
I have wedding cake to do this weekend and they want red velvet with cream cheese buttercream. How will this buttercream hold up on display for a few hours? The other recipe I have used seems to run but that maybe to the fact it’s more cream cheese then butter. Looking forward to your reply!

Hi there, Crystal! Thank you for writing with such a good question. This recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream is excellent to work with and will hold up to decorative piping. And, you guessed correctly…the reason for this is because there is a higher butter (fat) content when compared to other recipes for cream cheese with a higher moisture (water) content. Just be careful to not add more powdered sugar in an attempt to make the buttercream thicker. This will NOT happen because sugar is hygroscopic…which means that your buttercream will lose its firmness, become weak and break down. If you are wanting a crusting buttercream, that is sweeter and holds up well, and has the appearance of fondant, also consider my recipe for Best Ever Decorator’s Cream Cheese Buttercream. As for how long these cakes can stand at room temperature when made with a cream cheese buttercream, the answer is for a few hours if covered. This is, of course, for food safety reasons due to the added dairy. Thanks again for writing, Crystal. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Good luck with your baking, buttercream making and wedding cake decorating! 🙂

My eldest son is getting married. I’m making the cake. This evening we did a run through to make sure that what we thought was a good idea, was in fact, a good idea. First, this is the best frosting I have ever tasted, period. I don’t like sweet, sweet frosting…this isn’t that! The wedding cake by the way is chocolate, with this frosting and pomegranate seeds. Oh yum! It was a hit with the bride to be and we didn’t have to do a take two.

Hi there, Maria! Thank you for writing and sharing your experience with me and fellow readers. I am beyond thrilled to hear that my recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream passed your cake baking and buttercream trials for your son’s upcoming nuptials. In fact, I am truly flattered. This recipe definitely is an exceptional buttercream in its own right. Your concept for the wedding cake, with chocolate cake, this buttercream and pomegranate arils, has a fabulous flavor profile and sounds simply sublime. The wedding party and guests will surely rave! Thanks again for writing. I appreciate it more than you know. By the way, your positive review has been added to the accompanying article for my Carrot Cake ~ Best Ever Bakery-Style recipe just posted today. Warmest wishes to you and your family for a holiday season that is merry and bright. And best wishes to your son and his bride to be. 🙂 Finally, may the wedding cake that you bake be a smash hit!

Hi there, Jennifer! Thank you for writing. If you use gel-based or paste food coloring vs. liquid, you should not have any problems tinting this buttercream as far as consistency goes. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking that adding more powdered sugar will help thicken the buttercream. Since sugar is hygroscopic, be sure not to add more than 4 to 4 1/2 cups. Good luck with the cupcakes and have fun at the shower!

Hi there, Cherry! Thank you for writing with such a great question. Generally, recipes for buttercream frostings that yield 4½ cups can frost approximately 18 to 24 cupcakes depending on how much is used per cupcake (which tends to be about ¼ cup or slightly more for generously frosted cupcakes). For instance, a large tall swirl will require more buttercream frosting (probably about 1/3 cup) for each cupcake. Then again, if you frost each cupcake using the simple rose swirl technique and leave a bit of cupcake showing around the perimeter, you could use even a bit less than ¼ cup. It all depends on how you wish to frost your cupcakes. A good rule of thumb is to use ¼ cup as a benchmark and apply some good ol’ culinary math. 🙂 In this case, with a recipe yielding 4½ cups, simply divide that number (4.5) by .25 (to represent ¼ cup) and you should end up with the number 18 (representing the number of cupcakes you can frost). Knowing this, you can now accurately “guesstimate” any buttercream or frosting recipe (so long as the buttercream or frosting recipe provides an accurate yield for volume as to how many cups) to calculate “how many cupcakes you can frost”. Thanks again for writing, Cherry. 🙂 Meanwhile, I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Happy baking and buttercream making!

Thank you, Joshua! I’m so glad you and your wife enjoyed my recipe for Cream Cheese Buttercream. It truly is the “best ever” and everyone who has tried it just raves. More recipes are coming, but right now I am in the midst of a blog redesign and overhaul of the entire site with a focus on more wicked good baking recipes. Thanks again for writing. I appreciate it so much! 🙂

Hey there…..came across this recipe the other day. Had to make a red velvet cake for a friend’s birthday, but he doesn’t like super-sweet icing. This was PERFECT. I am not an experienced baker, but this was straight-forward and easy to follow, and turned out pretty darned terrific.

Thank you, Michael! My pleasure. What a wonderful friend you are…to bake a perfect Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream (that’s buttery and not too sweet) for your friend’s birthday. I hope you received rave reviews and your friend loved it. Thanks for taking the time to write. I appreciate it more than you know. 🙂 Meanwhile, happy baking!

Stacy, I am thinking about using your recipe to make both an Oreo buttercream and a blueberry buttercream filling for groom’s cakes for my brother’s wedding. I would add crushed Oreos to this recipe for one cake and then add freeze dried blueberry powder (that I will make pulverizing freeze dried berries in my food processor) to the other. No additional liquid added to either. Does that sound like a workable plan?

Hi there, Susan! Thank you for writing with such great questions. And, yes…I think you have an excellent workable plan. 🙂 How wonderful that you are making your brother’s groom’s cakes!

However, to save you the trouble of recipe development, I have here on the blog a recipe for Strawberry (or Cherry) Cream Cheese Buttercream. All you need to do is substitute dried blueberry powder for the dried strawberry or cherry powder, or to taste. If you do not want to use pure vanilla extract that can sometimes “muddy” the color of berry buttercream frostings, try a little pure almond extract to subtly complement the blueberries.

As for the Oreo version, are you a mind reader? 😉 I have a few more cream cheese buttercream recipes in the hopper to continue the series here on the blog and a Cookies & Cream version is one of them. 🙂 If you have not spotted it yet on the blog, I do have another cream cheese buttercream recipe that you can consider for your Oreo buttercream, Best Ever Decorator’s Cream Cheese Buttercream. It is a nice “crusting” buttercream if you are ever in need of one.

My sincere apologies for not answering your question sooner. I’ve been extremely busy behind-the-scenes to make Wicked Good Kitchen a better experience for my readers. I am also in a mad-red-hot-rush to get my berry and cherry recipes posted prior to the 4th of July for everyone. Thanks again for writing, Susan. I hope that I have answered your questions thoroughly and completely. Your cakes will be phenomenal and everyone will rave at the wedding! Congratulations and best wishes to your brother. 🙂 Happy baking and buttercream making!

Hi Stacy,
This recipe sounds wonderful and because I am not very keen for sweet frosting , this sounds perfect. However I tried this recipe today tasted excellent but I was not able to pipe it (wanted to make rosettes) 🙁 so a bit disappointed. What do you think must have gone wrong here? I really want to use same cream for piping rosettes
Thanks in advance

Hi there, Rose! My pleasure. Thank you for writing. I am hopeful that I can help you troubleshoot as to why you were unable to pipe rosettes using this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. I have never had trouble in the past due to the good amount of butter in the recipe (adequate fat to sugar ratio). So, my first question for you is did you deviate from the recipe at all such as make substitutions or add more of a particular ingredient? If you have, let me know. If this particular buttercream was unworkable for piping decorations, there are three (3) possible reasons that immediately come to my mind. 1) Warm weather and/or high humidity caused your buttercream to become too soft. 2) Your cream cheese (or different brand of cream cheese) had a higher water content than what I use (either Organic Valley® or Philadelphia® brands) that caused your buttercream to become too soft. 3) You added more powdered sugar thinking that since it is a dry ingredient it would thicken the buttercream. But, instead, the buttercream became too soft. The first two possibilities are self-explanatory. However, if you did add more powdered sugar, the problem is that sugar is hygroscopic. Adding more powdered sugar will never thicken up a buttercream. Instead, the remedy is to add more fat. Generally, 2 tablespoons of softened butter or a fine-quality shortening, such as palm shortening, helps. Thanks again for writing, Rose. I hope that I have answered your question thoroughly and completely. Good luck with the next go ’round and I hope your rosettes will be gorgeous. 🙂 Happy baking and buttercream making!

Hi there, Raquel! My pleasure. Thank you for taking the time to write and share your positive experience with my recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream. 🙂 It definitely is buttery-good and not too sweet. Everyone LOVES this recipe and raves. Thanks again for stopping by and have a fabulous summer!

I have hunted and hunted and tried so many cream cheese recipes that just do not hold up well at room temp and are sickly sweet. This icing is A-MAZING!!! Piped the most beautiful rosette cake and tasted awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing!!! I will definitely be trying more of your icing recipes!!! 😊

Thank you, Mandy! I greatly appreciate that you took the time to comment and share your positive experience with my recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream with me and fellow readers. This buttercream frosting never fails to impress and is so incredibly versatile. I am beyond thrilled that it is a new go-to recipe for you for Cream Cheese Buttercream. Wishing you and yours a happy and meaningful holiday season! As always, Happy Baking!

Hi there, Ari! My pleasure. Thank you for writing with such a great question! If it were me, and I were making a Pumpkin Roll Cake or Rolled Carrot Cake, I would forge ahead and make the full recipe which will yield about 4 and 1/2 cups. Then, I would use the amount I felt best for filling the rolled cake. (You can be generous with this recipe for Best Ever Cream Cheese Buttercream because it is nice and buttery and yet not too sweet.) As for any leftovers, I would simply freeze the remaining buttercream for a future small batch of cupcakes or soft cookies. The reason I say this is because you will want to have enough filling for your rolled cake and not be too skimpy with it. In addition, after reviewing the Wilton Cake Baking & Serving Guide chart, they recommend 9 cups of icing to fill and frost or decorate an 11×15-inch sheet cake (which is very close in measurement to your sheet cake pan at 10×15 inches.) Since I assume you will not be icing or decorating the top of your rolled cake and traditionally only using a filling, 4 and 1/2 cups will be more than adequate which is exactly half the amount that the Wilton guide recommends for icing. On the other hand, if making a full recipe, you would then be able to embellish the top of the cake with the remaining frosting if you wish. Ari, I hope my reply has been helpful to you. Thanks again for writing and happy holidays!

Can I use a gel food coloring by Americolor? It’s all I have and I won’t be using much. I made your caramel cream cheese buttercream and it is about the best frosting we have ever tasted!! So I chose your straight up cream cheese buttercream recipe to use on my daughter’s smash cake for her wedding a few weeks from now. She wants a blush colored frosting.

Hi again, Theresa! Everything you need is in my previous reply – including links to natural food coloring products that I use myself and recommend as well as to other recipes of mine that can be helpful. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask. That’s what I am here for. 🙂

Hi there Theresa! Thank you for writing with such a great question and for your glowing positive feedback on my recipe for Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream. I appreciate it more than you know. As to your question, the answer is yes. You can definitely use Americolor® brand of gel food colorings with this recipe as well as Wilton or CK Products and the like. As always, the choice is up to the baker. Since I am an all-natural baker and suffer from severe food allergies (especially to artificial food colorings), I like to recommend to others the use of natural food colorings. My favorite brands are ChefMaster® and TruColor®. You can find ChefMaster® at Supply Village and TruColor® at Amazon or N.Y. Cake. As for coloring a light pink or blush color naturally, I recommend either Organic Beet Juice Powder or Organic Raspberry Powder dissolved in a tiny bit of water before adding and whipping into the buttercream. I use both myself and they can be found at Amazon. If you use whole freeze-dried raspberries by processing into a powder in a food processor, and then sifting away the large pieces, your buttercream will still turn out with little bits of raspberry as like with my recipe for Strawberry (or Cherry) Cream Cheese Buttercream – which I do not think your daughter would prefer for her wedding day. Also, I would not recommend raspberry jam as it tends to leave a dusty and dull color to the buttercream – which is not very pleasing to the eye – and the added sugars from the jam cause a hygroscopic reaction that breaks down buttercream frostings making them less thick and unworkable for piping decorations. If you are serious about an all-natural jam or sauce to make homemade, and use to tint a cream cheese or mascarpone buttercream, I highly recommend my recipe for Strawberry-Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream that incorporates my component recipe for Strawberry-Raspberry Sauce – Best Ever. Both the color and flavor are phenomenal and the buttercream pipes beautifully. Simply use the amount of the sauce to reach your desired blush color. And, if you want something really special if not going with a cream cheese or mascarpone buttercream, you can never go wrong with my recipe for Pink Champagne Buttercream. Theresa, I hope that I have answered your questions thoroughly and completely. Meanwhile, best wishes to your daughter on her upcoming wedding! 🙂 You are a wonderful mother to be carrying out your daughter’s wishes for a beautiful, flavorful and fun smash cake! Thanks again for writing, Theresa. And… Happy Baking and Buttercream Making!

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Welcome to My Kitchen

My name is Stacy. I'm a recipe developer, food writer, baker and member of the IACP. I love to concoct tasty baked creations to share with others—both traditional and gluten-free. Welcome to my Wicked Good Kitchen!